28th Oct ....A cracking week....

This week has been really good. No pool on Monday - visiting my Brother and Mum so did some runs instead. Back in the pool Wed and Friday and afternoon on Saturday doing some fitness training and filming of stroke and starts.
Totals for the week are: 22,350m so not short of the target and that with missing a day.

• Basic Endurance: 11650
• Threshold Endurance: 3000
• Overloaded Endurance: 1000
• Lactate Tolerance: 1000
• Lactate Production: 1400
• Power: 1000
• Race Pace: 1000
• Recovery: 2300

I was particularly pleased with keeping up with the Finis Tempo on 5x200 as I decended the stroke times from 0.5s to 0.35s. (0.35s seems to be my optimum speed and complete 50m surface in 23s with this rate).

Fri 20th Oct - difficult week

Been a difficult week this week, trying to keep up the increased volume of long sets and the pool being shut on Wed am. No chance to catch up at the weekend as it was used for a gala then. Tried using a very stiff fin for the power routines this week whcih weemed to work well as my normal fin seemed so much quicker when I came back to it. Foot pockets have a different fit too which eased the pressure on this weeks sore bits. Totals for the week: 21,850m + one 6k cycle ride and a 2 1/2 k run. Ive not been running since I sprained my ankle back in May - couldnt walk properly until the end of June - so pleased to be able to do this again as swimming is not good for improving the resilience of the joints the way impact excercise does.

• EN1: Basic Endurance: 9300
• EN2: Threshold Endurance: 1900
• EN3: Overload Enduarnce: 700
• SP1: Lactate Tolerance: 1000
• SP2: Lactate Production: 2300
• SP3: Power drills: 2300
• RP: Race Pace: 1000
• R: Slow recovery 3400

Finding the swimmers metronome a really useful tool to keep the 'race pace' constant. I will be using the next few weeks to 'burn in' the right pace and work on increasing stroke length. It also makes something a bit different in order to keep the interest in 'yet another set'.

Wed 19 Oct - New PB's

Into another heavy week. Plans had to change this week as the pool was closed for 'Essential Maintenance' this morning. Meant 3 1/2 hours in the pool this afternoon. Things start building up to the races now with routines more specifically aligned to the needs of the 100m and the 200m. This means more lactate work, threshold endurance and overloaded endurance which have doubled in volume.

Some new PBs today - I was trying to find the difference between by brown fin (stiffer) and the black fin (softer) by repeating 50m sprints -5 with each fin at different stroke rates using a small swimmers metronome that fits inside the swimming hat. Brown fin is faster and a new PB of 22.4s for 50m on the surface. So Current best times are:

• 50m apnea 21.06s - official June 06
• 50m surface 22.4s - informal (previously 24.16s)
• 100m surface 49s - informal (previously 54.11s)
• 200m surface 1m 59s - informal (previously 2m 04s)

Friday 13 Oct 2006 - Recovery week

An easier week - allowing time to catch up and 'adapt' the the previous 4 weeks exertions. Exciting news - had contact with Igor Orel from one of the Russian finswimming schools in St. Petersburg. Plannning to go and learn from them for 2 weeks in November if I can get this sorted in time. Getting a Visa seems to be something of an ordeal.

Monday:
Descending enduarance sets: 2800m
Lactate production sets: 3200m

Tuesday:
Mixed sets with freedivers, lactate production, endurance and threshold: 2000m

Wednesday:
Power and lactate tolerance - ouch: 2400m

Thursday - no training today

Friday:
Power, endurance and small race sets: 3500m

Tried my old racing fin today - felt really weird, couldnt get used to it. Have to decide now which fin to use for racing in future. Really cost and foggy this morning - thought of going to the pool was not comfortable. Ok when I got there though. Lots of people asking me how Im getting on at the pool today - nice.

End of General Preparation phase

Friday 6th Oct and this being the 4th week marks the end of the general preparation phase. Next week eases off, then its back on the escalator for race specific sessions. New PBs today :-).
4x 200m in 1:59, 2:01, 2:07 and 2:07. First time to break the 2min barrier.

I wasnt sure how the long endurance set would work with friday afternoon race pace session - but it seemed to work quite well. I did feel like just curling up and going to sleep at lunchtime though.

I cant say how much I appreciate the Aldershot Garrison sport centre letting me train there with the fins.

• AM: 500m warmup, full power starts off the blocks 10x50m, 200m easy nofins, 6x50 tombstone, 10x200 slow swimming with small fins and monofin mix. 500m swimdown.
• PM: 500m warmup, 3x100 1:45 small fins, 200 easy no fins, 4x200 race (watch set to 50m intervals of 35s, 34s and 33s) with 200 easy intervals - new PB - very pleased and the 1:59 includes the time to set and read the watch.

Wed 4 Oct - Lactate day

Big lactate sessions today....

• AM: 500mwu, 8x50 full on 100% with small fins / 3mins, 200m interval, 10x100m/2min with small fins, 200 interval, 3x200 /3:20 monfin, 2x50 apnea :-), 600m swim down.
• PM: 500mwu, 10x50m tomstone with small fins, 200 interval, drills on back, left and right 400m, 2x 4x100m/1:15 monofin, 200 interval then 1000m recovery swiming no fins.

Mon 3rd Oct ....The start of another week

Feel quite refreshed at the beginning of this week – no remains of a cold like last week- and some new PB’s.
Used the countdown timer on my watch to pace each 50m today which worked well and seems to be a good method to use to monitor speed and overload progress going forward. Practiced simulated turns with a tank today – pleased with how that worked.

AM: 400m with each 50m at 40s, 400m with each 50m at 35 sec, 2x200 with each 50m at 30s.. 5x200m/4m endurance swimming with small fins.

PM: Long lactate set again today. 3x 6x (50m sprint+50 easy)/3min with small fins and monofin. Long 600m swim down and a couple of nice slow 50m apneas to finish with monofin. Afternoon sun of the bottom of the pool :-).

New PBs of 4:28 for 400m and 2:01 for 200m. Also 30s for 50m with small training fins. Total: 7300m